# The cat cafe founder standing up for pets born different

> Christina Ha built Meow Parlour, then a foundation for the animals most people walk past.
- Title: The cat cafe founder standing up for pets born different
- Summary: Christina Ha built Meow Parlour, then a foundation for the animals most people walk past. A birth defect is a care plan, not a verdict, and the animals that…
- Keywords: pets, animal welfare, cats, adoption, compassion, news, cat, cafe, founder, standing, born, different
- Source: ABC News — https://abcnews.com/video/136403813
- Author: ABC News
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: pets, animal welfare, cats, adoption, compassion, news
## A day for the overlooked
September 13 marks pet birth defect awareness day, a yearly nudge to think about animals born with conditions they did not choose.
## Meet Christina Ha
Ha is the founder of Meow Parlour, and she spends her time on the animals that shelters and buyers tend to skip.
## A cat cafe with a mission
Meow Parlour puts people and cats in the same room, which turns a curious visit into an adoption far more often than a cage does.
## The foundation behind it
Ha walks through the work her foundation does, the unglamorous part that happens after the cute photos and before a cat finds a home.

> the work behind her foundation
## What a birth defect means
Congenital conditions are present from birth. A missing limb, a wobbly gait, an organ that formed wrong. Most of them are manageable, not fatal.
## Different needs, same pet
These animals need a vet who knows their case and an owner who plans ahead. In return they do exactly what any other pet does.
## Compassion is the ask
Ha's pitch is simple. Look twice at the animal you were about to pass over, and ask what it would actually take to bring it home.

> why it's important to care for animals with pet birth defects
## Key takeaway

A birth defect is a care plan, not a verdict, and the animals that have one still make good pets.